Pain of Yesterday
by AgentKorra
Summary: AU. Piper Chapman appears to be your average New Yorker. Only one thing makes her different. She's an assassin, a hitman, or rather hitwoman. Kidnapped as a child, she wasn't raised to dress pretty or go to college. She was trained to kill. After a snag in her last hit, she ends up running into her past. Now her life gets harder for her and those around her. Vauseman. Hitman!Piper
1. Chapter 1

**So in this fanfic, which is the first fanfic I've ever written for OITNB, takes place in an alternate universe where Alex never got introduced in Kubra's drug ring, since there never was one. Instead, Kubra was the leader of a group of hitmen. And when Piper was a child, she was kidnapped by Kubra's forces and was trained to be just like the rest of them. SO YEAH… Let's go!**

* * *

She didn't see it coming. The blast cleared half of the safe house and the heat had singed her hair. Why was it so hard to eliminate a single target? She's done it so many times and yet she couldn't do it. Kubra was not going to be happy. Piper entered the safe house, or at least what was left of it. Walking with caution, Piper raised her silenced Beretta M9 and creeped into what appeared to a living room. 'I doubt he's still here so I better take a look around and then I gotta get the hell out of here,' Piper thought to herself.

_Victor Angelis. _That was her target. That was the man who thought he could get away with killing one of Kubra's men. And now he had to pay for his actions. Piper, stepping over a burnt 2x4, glanced over the sofa, only to immediately jump back. This was the last thing she was expecting. There was Victor on the floor covered in third degree burns. Piper leaned down and placed her fingers on his neck. No pulse. "Dammit," Piper swore under her breath. He probably tried setting up a bomb, but unfortunately for him, it backfired. Knowing it wouldn't help her in any way, Piper shot Victor's corpse in the head and proceeded to shoot the wall behind him twice. Tucking her weapon in her waistband and pulling her shirt down, Piper jogged down two flights of stairs and exited the building. Luckily, with the crowd of people screaming trying to get away from the scene, it was easy for her to make her getaway. Getting on her dark blue motorcycle, Piper started the engine and sped off in the opposite direction of the oncoming fire truck, leaving no trace of her ever being there.

* * *

It was obvious that Piper was nervous. Even if you didn't look at her body language, you could just sense some sort of anxiety radiating off of her. Pulling her up to her usual spot in the underground garage, Piper stopped the engine. She stayed on the motorcycle for what felt like hours. Eventually, she pulled off her helmet and got off the bike. She walked over to the elevator and waited for it to arrive. When it did, she entered and pressed the button for the fourth floor. This was the floor where most hitmen slept, ate, trained, and exercised, not only that, but Kubra's office was also on this floor. The blonde knew he was expecting her so there was no point in trying to avoid him since someone would eventually be sent to bring her to his office. Piper made her way down the hall and turned right to the double doors that would lead her to her boss.

Opening the doors, Piper could see Kubra sitting in his favorite chair, facing the window, staring down at the people below. Clearing her throat, Piper stood at full height. "Uhh sir, Piper Chapman, Agent 29, reporting from last mission." Kubra turned around slowly, facing the blonde. His solemn face immediately broke into a grin.

"Ahh, Piper! How's my favorite agent doing?" he asked looking at her with a glint in his eyes.

"I'm fine, sir."

"Stop with the formalities, kid. I practically raised you your whole life," he said, his smile not faltering in the slightest.

"Sorry si-, Kubra," Piper said. He was right. He would tell her the stories of how he found her on the streets after her parents abandoned her when she was a little girl, and how he took her in under his wing. It's not like she remembered any of her childhood before Kubra.

"Now, enough small chat. Take a seat," he said pointing to the chair on the opposite side of his desk. After Piper sat herself down, he continued. "I assume our problem regarding Mr. Angelis has been taken care of." Piper nodded. "Care to share the details with me?"

"Of course. Mr. Angelis had cause a bit of trouble, but luckily I had eliminated target after a little scuffle." Piper watched as Kubra got up from his seat and walked over to Piper. She tried not to shudder as he softly grabbed her chin and tilted her face. After holding her still for a few seconds, he removed his hand. Just as Piper was about to release the breath she didn't realize she was holding, Kubra ran his thumb over her jaw line. She had to hold back a gasp, his finger feeling like sandpaper on her skin. He pulled his hand back for a second time, only to show Piper his thumb.

"Would you like to explain to me why you have soot on your face?" he asked. He rubbed his right hand on his pants and grasped the tips of Piper's hair with his left. "Or why the ends of your hair are burnt?"

"Well sir, I-I actually didn't kill Victor Angelis. You see, he attempted to construct an explosive of some sorts to kill me, but I guess he failed and the blast ended up killing him."

"I see." Kubra turned his back from Piper. The blonde looked down, finding the hardwood floor much more interesting than the man in front of her. "Piper," he said, his tone dull. Lifting her head, she looked back at Kubra, noting how his back muscles could be seen tensing through his suit jacket. In a matter of seconds, Kubra turned around and sharply backhanded Piper. She bit back a cry of pain, her cheek burning furiously. "You should know by now, that I don't like liars," he spoke calmly, "Correct your ways. Understand?"

"Yes sir. I understand," she responded through gritted teeth.

"Kubra. Not sir," he corrected.

"Right. I understand Kubra," she repeated.

"Good. Now go back home and get cleaned up. Oh, and you might want to get your hair trimmed. I don't think anyone would find it attractive for you to have the ends of your hair burnt, now would they?" he asked, walking around the desk again and sitting back in his chair.

"No, you're right. I'll get right on that."

"Excellent. I will contact you when are needed again. You can leave now." There was no point in responding since Kubra already turned back to the window. Piper walked out of the office, mentally swearing. She was so pissed at Kubra and at herself she didn't pay attention to where she was going and ended up crashing into someone.

"Hey! Watch where you're going assho-," she stopped herself once she recognized the person on the other end of her stupidity. It was Kubra's highest ranking agent, not to mention the first person ever recruited by her boss, Fahri. "I am so sorry Fahri! God, I'm such a fucking idiot," she stammered.

He laughed, "It's fine, Chapman. Did you just come from Kubra office?" she nodded. "And how did that go?"

"It could have gone better. And now Kubra's on my ass. This whole day has been shitty."

"Trust me kid. I've been there. Anyways, no need to worry. I'll get Kubra to ease off you a bit," he said, smiling.

"Thanks. I owe you." she replied.

"Just be careful, okay?" he asked, his eyes softening. Even though Kubra raised her, Piper was always a little closer to the agent. She nodded once more and he smiled in response. They said their goodbyes and parted ways.

* * *

Piper thought about taking her motorcycle back to her apartment, but decided against it. She could just hail a cab. After spending three minutes trying to get a cab driver's attention, and another fifteen riding in the back of a car that smelled like fast food, Piper finally got to her apartment. She immediately walked into bedroom and pulled her gun out of her waistband. The young woman emptied the magazine, removed the silencer, and put each item in her desk drawer. Piper looked at the calendar on the desk. June 7, 2013. Now she remembered. It was her birthday, and she forgot. Deeply sighing, she walked over to her bed plopped onto her mattress and laid back. Slowly, she turned her head over to the bedside table she had and extended her arm out to grab the picture frame that was on the edge.

She sat up, staring at the photo. Ten years. That's how long it had been since the picture had been taken. It was of her and the only woman she had ever loved. Her Alex. They had the picture taken at some street festival that they had found walking down the streets of New York. Alex had convinced her to take the photo with her on that day. It wasn't like there was a scenery behind them or any funny clown in between them. But that's was why Piper loved the photo so much. It was just them and only them. Unfortunately for Piper, Alex ended up breaking up with her two years later.

Piper blinked back tears that were threatening to fall as she put the frame back on the table. She looked at the time. 2:10. It was still early in the day and yet she still felt so exhausted. Getting up, Piper walked to the kitchen to make coffee. Picking up the container of coffee grounds, she shook it only to feel no weight to it. Empty. "Dammit," she swore. She decided just walk down to Starbucks down the street.

* * *

"I'll take a large house blend, please." Piper didn't understand what the big deal was with Starbucks. All the WASPy girls in front of her ordering the weirdest drink names. Mocha Cookie Crumble with chocolate drizzle. '_Who puts cookies in coffee?'_ she thought. '_This place is just too fussy for me.'_

"Here's your coffee ma'am. That'll be $4.50." Not to mention expensive. She could spend five bucks on a bag of coffee grounds that would last at least a week. She should have just gone to the store, but nearest grocery store was half a mile away and she was not going to spend an extra twenty bucks for a taxi. She handed the cashier a five, "Keep the change."

She took her coffee and went over to the table with the cream and sugar. She made her coffee the way she liked and was ready to sit down when the door opened and two women laughing entered. '_That laugh...' _Piper looked over at the door and looked at the women. The one on the left was short, maybe 5'4, wild hair, but Piper could care less about her. It was the one on the right that caught her attention. Brunette, 5'10, secretary glasses, and a deep raspy voice. No fucking way.

Alex Vause.

Happy Fucking Birthday, Piper Chapman.

* * *

**So there we go. That is the first chapter of this story. I don't know how long this fanfiction is going to be, but I will try to update once a week. However, I will be starting school soon, so the updates won't be consistent. I really would appreciate if you guys would tell me if I make any mistakes and if you guys could review. Thanks a bunch. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all so much for the support. I didn't imagine this many people liking this story. I will try my hardest to update as soon as I can and I'll try to get at much of the story out as I can before I go back to school, A.K.A. Hell. Also I apologize for the format of the last chapter. I tried to fix the problem so I hope this chapter doesn't have the same problem. Another note, I live in California so I don't really know the layout of New York, let alone street names so I did some research, but not a lot.**

* * *

Alex woke up at a significantly later time than her alarm. She had plans to clean the apartment she shared with her best friend, Nicky, and work on getting more pieces of artwork in her gallery. Alex started her gallery almost a decade ago. She had created the gallery so that amateur photographers and artists could be discovered. All of those plans went down the drain when got drunk last night and ended up sleeping past one in the afternoon. "Vause! I don't care if you're hung over, but you need to get your ass up!" Nicky's voice resounded throughout the whole apartment, if not the entire building.

"Alright, I'm up." The brunette pulled the covers off her body and slowly lifted herself off the bed.

"Come on Vause. I get that you're hungover, but you can't sleep all da-, Oh wow, you look like shit," Nicky said, entering the room.

"Thanks Nichols, you're too kind."

"Just being honest. Hey, how about you get cleaned up and we go out to get some coffee?" The shorter woman offered.

"What? No plans with Morello today?" Nicky shook her head. "Have you seen my glasses anywhere? They're not next to my bed," she said pointing at the table beside her bed.

"Yeah. Hold on a sec," Nicky replied, leaving the room, only to return thirty seconds later. "Here you go, Vause." Alex extended her hand out, grabbing her glasses.

"Thanks. But why did you have my glasses. Actually, I was drunk, I don't want to know." Looking at the time, Alex said, "Give me an hour and we'll head out, okay?"

"Alright. I'm gonna go call Lorna," Nicky said. They both walked out of Alex's room and into the hallway. Alex went left, into the bathroom while Nicky continued down the hall to the living room to call her girlfriend of two and a half years.

Alex went through her daily routine slower than usual. She had no particular reason to do so, but she did it anyways. She let the warm water of the shower envelope her in comfort. After washing up, the brunette stepped out of the shower, and wrapped a towel around her body. Walking back to her bedroom, Alex picked out her outfit for the day. She settled on a graphic tee shirt, black skinny jeans, and her usual black converse shoes.

Walking back to the bathroom, Alex hung up her towel on the rack behind her and started blow drying her hair. After she finished drying her hair and putting on her signature black eyeliner, she put her glasses back on and walked to the living room where Nicky was.

Nicky turned her head to Alex and raised her index up, signaling she needed another minute. "Yeah. I know, it sounds pretty bad. Was anyone hurt?" A pause. "Oh man. That sucks. Hope there wasn't anyone else. Yeah. Okay, uh, babe, I got to go. Mmhmm. Vause and I are gonna go out for coffee. I'll call you later. Love you too. Bye." Alex rolled her eyes, watching Nicky smile at her phone, even after she had ended the call.

"Man, you're whipped." Alex said, smirking.

"Whatever. Let's just get going," the shorter woman said, stalking towards the door..

"Finally!"

"I should be the one saying that, not you, Ms. I-take-over-an-hour-to-get-ready!"

* * *

The two women walked down the streets of New York to the Starbucks that was on W 86th Street, talking like there was no tomorrow. "Hey did you hear about that accident on Riverside?" Nicky asked the brunette.

"No. Why, what happened?" she replied, curiosity reeling her in.

"Well I was talking to Lorna about this. Apparently, there was some sort of explosion in an apartment building,"Alex's eyes widened in surprise, "Some guy was killed, but other than that, no one else was injured, or at least severely, for that matter."

"What do you think could have cause it?"

"Hell if I know. Maybe a gas leak or something like that," the shorter woman said, shaking her head. They continued talking, getting on a lighter topic than some random man dying in an explosion. They cracked jokes and Nicky told Alex how she and Lorna were doing. The two of them did this until they got to the Starbucks, laughing as they got inside. They both got in line, waiting for the couple in front of them to finish ordering. In the corner her eye, Alex saw a young, blonde, woman standing next to a table in the coffee shop, who appeared to be staring at her. Getting annoyed, the brunette looked over at the blonde, with a frown on her face, only to immediately replace it with a look of shock.

"Piper?"

* * *

This couldn't be happening. What was she doing in New York? More importantly, why was she just standing there staring at her dark haired ex. Piper kept staring at the tall women in surprise, even though she knew she was there, and not a figment of her imagination. Or was she? It wouldn't be the first time Piper thought she saw her ex-girlfriend in public, but when the glasses wearing women called out to her, all her doubts flew out the window. The blonde felt the room spin, her vision became disorientated, and all of a sudden, she felt like she couldn't breathe. In a matter of seconds, Piper bolted out of the shop, only hearing Alex calling out to her. She ran into a nearby alley and pressed her back against the wall, attempting to calm her breathing, only to fail miserably. She could see black dots invading her vision when she saw Alex run into the same alley she was in. '_Shit.'_

* * *

Alex could only watch as the blonde's chest rise and fall rapidly, her eyes darting back and forth between her and everyone else in the room. She stepped forward, getting out of line, trying to get closer to the woman hyperventilating in front of her. And as if the shop was on fire, Piper took off. "Piper! Wait! Arghh, Fuck!" Alex screamed out. Nicky tried to ask her what was wrong, but Alex didn't even hear her finish her sentence, she just ran after the woman whose heart she broke almost eight years ago. The dark-haired woman sprinted out, only to have lost sight of Piper. "Fuck!" Guessing which way Piper may have gone, she took off left. Halfway down the street, Alex heard a crash of a metal garbage can smashing against the concrete. Glancing down the alley she was next to, Alex saw the woman she chased, breathing heavily. "Piper." There was no reaction out of her. Alex walked closer to her. "Hey, Pipes?" Piper looked up and stared straight into her eyes. They maintained eye contact, until tears started pooling in the blonde's eyes.

"No… you're not here. The real Alex wouldn't talk to me. You're just part of my imagination." Piper said, tears leaving wet trails on her cheeks and her bottom lip quivered. What was happening? When did this start? Hallucinations? So many questions were running through Alex's head that she almost didn't notice the blonde drag her back down the wall of the alley until she reached the ground, muttering ineligible things.

"No. Pipes. I'm here." Piper just shook her head and continued to sob. Alex almost started to cry at the sight in front of her, but she blinked back the tears. Alex kneeled down at eye level with Piper and cupped her cheek. "Piper, please." The taller woman lifted Piper's face up to look at her eyes. It was as if the blonde wasn't looking at Alex, but through her. What Alex did next surprised both women, she tilted her head, and crashed her lips onto the other woman's. Piper did not respond at first until it occurred to her that this was no vision, and Alex was here, kissing her, and she eventually kissed her back. A few seconds later, Alex pulled away staring back at Piper. "Hey, kid."

"You're here. You're actually here, right now." Alex nodded. "Thank you. I really...needed...yo-" Piper didn't end up finished her sentence, since she passed out from mental exhaustion.

"Piper?" Alex shook Piper, getting no response. She sighed, getting up off of her knees, pulling the shorter woman up and throwing her arm around her own shoulders. Alex dragged Piper out of the alley, back towards the Starbucks where her friend was waiting.

* * *

Dragging someone at 3 in the morning back to their house would not be given a second glance. Most people would think it was normal, two friends, one dragging the other, who was probably drunk off their ass all the way down to their apartment. It was different when the same scenario happened at 3 in the afternoon. Both Alex and Nicky dragged Piper back to their apartment, receiving judgemental glances from almost everyone. "Where are we taking your friend?" Nicky asked.

"Back to the apartment."

"Why don't we just take her to the hospital, or back to her house?"

"We can't."

"Why no-"

"We just CAN'T! Okay?!"Alex shouted, startling her friend. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I just know that Piper wouldn't want to go to the hospital, and I don't even know where she lives."

"Wait. Piper? As in the Piper you would talk about all the time after you two broke up?" Nicky asked, a smile creeping on her face. Alex shook her head, ignoring the question. She looked down at Piper, her eyes softening. "It is the same Piper!"

"And how do you know it is?"

"Because the only person who I look at like that is Morello." Alex sighed and nodded her head. This was not what Alex expected when she met Piper again. In fact, she didn't expect to meet Piper at all. But she could never deny the fact that she was glad she did.

* * *

_Piper walked into the bookstore, anger radiating off of her. She was twenty two years old and Kubra still didn't trust her to go on missions alone. She was always stuck with some 40-year-old, who practically did all the work. She wanted to feel an adrenaline rush. But no, Kubra said she was still a child. Bullshit. She just wanted to get lost in a good book considering she had read all of the books on her shelves at least once. She wanted a change though. She wanted to read something she had never heard of. Piper saw a woman stocking up books on the shelves. The blonde walked up to her and tapped her shoulder. The woman turned around, facing Piper. "May I help you?" she asked. Forget getting lost in book. Piper could get lost in this woman's eyes. And that deep, raspy voice. Wow. "Uhh..ma'am?"_

_"Oh, uh sorry. I-I was looking for a book, a-and I was wondering if you could recommend something for me?" Piper stuttered. Why was she getting so flustered?_

_"Well, you've come to the right place, and honestly, you came to the right person. Half the people who work here just want a job. Luckily, I'm not one of those people and I actually like my job," she said, chuckling. That laugh was music to Piper's ears and she knew she would never forget it. "Why don't you follow me and I'll take you to where some of my favorite books are." They walked down a few aisles until the tall brunette , stopped, and began running her index finger against the spines of the books delicately. She paused at a small, navy blue book, and pulled it out, handing it to Piper. 'Horowitz Horror'. She had never read horror books before, but she trusted the woman in front of her. "I know what you're thinking. Why horror? It's not really horror, it's just suspenseful and a little creepy, but I think you'll like it."_

"_Oh, do you?" Piper asked, a smirk creeping onto her face. "What else do you think I'll like?"_

"_By the way you're looking at me, I think we both know what you would want." the woman's voice deepened, her eyes darkening behind her secretary glasses._

"_Who are you?"_

"_My name's Alex. And you are?"_

"_I'm Piper," she said _

"_Well, Piper, I get off in five, how about you and I get some dinner?"_

"_Wow, eager aren't we?" Piper couldn't stop smiling. This woman, Alex, was fascinating. She didn't know a single thing about her, and yet, she couldn't help but be intrigued by her. "But yeah. I'd like that. I'll get this book, and we'll go."_

"_Great!" Alex reached out to grab Piper's hand, and as soon as they made contact, both women felt sparks fly up their arms and go through their entire body. "I'll see you outside." Piper walked to the checkout and purchased her book. After waiting outside for a few minutes she heard the door open and Alex walked out to her. She no longer cared about any adrenaline rush that could come from a mission. This woman could give her a rush better than anything else._

* * *

Alex pulled her keys out of her pocket and put them into the lock. "So where do you want to put her?" Nicky asked, ready to drop Piper as soon as she got the chance.

"Let's just put her in my room."

"Ahh, finally you get a girl you like in your bed," Nicky said, raising her eyebrows, in a suggestive manner.

"Just shut up and help me." They carried the blonde to Alex's bedroom and the second they got next to the bed Nicky plopped Piper on the mattress ungracefully.

"Nichols! Jesus, couldn't you have been a little more careful?"Alex asked loudly.

"Look, you're friend's heavy and tall, and if you haven't noticed, I'm short!" Nicky replied raising her voice to match Alex's. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need a drink." Nicky walked out of the room, leaving Alex alone with Piper. She looked down at the blonde laying on her bed and sighed heavily. "What am I going to do with you, Piper Chapman?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Here comes Chapter 3! Yay! Which means more flashbacks. And once again, thanks for the support. **

Piper woke up in a cold sweat, her breathing uneven. It was all just a dream. The mission, her meeting with Kubra, and Alex. Forget it all being a dream, it was more of a nightmare than anything. Piper pulled the baby blue bed sheets up to her neck and...wait a second. She didn't have any blue bed sheets. Hers were a cream color. She threw the covers off of her and jumped off the bed. The sudden movement caused her to go dizzy for a few seconds. As the room stopped spinning, Piper took in her surroundings. It was an average bedroom with a queen size bed, grey walls, and a few drawers. It was hard for her to distinguish where she was exactly. She began rummaging through a few drawers hoping to find out more about where she was. Based on the clothing she was in the room of a woman. Piper looked at the top of the dresser glancing at the knick knacks. She grabbed the picture frame, looking at the people in the photo. She almost dropped the frame out of shock, her hands shaking uncontrollably.

This wasn't right. The two people, the women in the picture consisted of a blonde and a brunette. It was of her and Alex. She remembers when they took the photo. They had only been dating for five months. But it had been Alex's 23rd birthday. That's why it was special.

* * *

_Alex and Piper had been on a ferry for the past ten minutes, heading for The Statue of Liberty. Piper wanted to plan out a special day for the woman she loved. After all, it was her birthday. Who would thought an assassin like Piper was such a softie? She woke up Alex with breakfast in bed. Then they arrived at the docks to take the boat to the monument. And to end the day, Piper had made reservations to take Alex to an expensive Italian restaurant. She knew Alex would be mad at her for spending so much money on her but the paycheck from her last hit would be enough to take her on twenty of these dates, and still have some money left over. But Alex didn't know that. Alex didn't know a single thing about her real job. As at as she knew, Piper worked for an entrepreneuring company. _

_"So, how's work?" Alex asked curiously. _

_"So far, it's going good. It can be a little challenging sometimes, but it's for the good of the company, so I'm happy doing my job," Piper replied, a genuine smile on her face. It wasn't a complete lie. As a matter of fact, it was 100% true, only Alex thought she was talking about entrepreneuring and not killing. "So what about you? How has the bookstore been treating you?" Alex had recently been promoted to Assistant Manager in the last month and had been enjoying her job more than ever._

"_It's great. But I actually wanted to talk to you about that." Piper tilted her head, her full attention on the woman in front of her. "I've decided I want to start a gallery. I've been wanting to do this for the longest time," Alex continued babbling and a small smile eased its way onto the blonde's face, "And I know what you're thinking, but I won't quit my managing job until I get the gallery up and running and…an-" _

"_Alex!" The brunette froze. "Listen, I don't care if you quit your job now or not. I'm really proud of you, babe. I give you my full support. After all, you amuse me, Alex Vause." Alex smiled, her eyes watering. She wrapped her arms around Piper's neck and whispered a 'thank you' into her girlfriend ear before pulling back and planting her lips on the blonde's._

_The ferry pulled up to the dock and all the passengers got off. The two walked hand in hand to the front of the statue. Piper continued walking but was pulled back by Alex. "Wait. Can we take a picture? We can try and get Lady Liberty in the shot too." Piper nodded, thinking how lucky she was to be with this wonderful woman. Alex took the camera off her neck and asked a tourist if he could take a picture of them. They leaned closer together, their cheeks pressing against each other and watched as the camera flashed. The man walked closer and handed Alex the camera. They both thanked him, his response being a smile and a nod before he walked away. It was a perfect picture, with the two women smiling in the center and the Statue of Liberty looking as if she was watching over them. "It's perfect," Alex said, her voice barely above a whisper._

"_It is. Just like you. Happy Birthday, Al," Piper said, pulling Alex in for another kiss._

* * *

Piper remembered that day like it was yesterday. She hoped that for the rest of her life she would never forget that day or any of the time she had spent with the tall brunette. What Piper couldn't get over, was that Alex still had this photo after all these years. "I'm still surprised that I have that picture after all this time myself." Piper jumped at the voice and turned to the source. The same woman she was just thinking about stood in the doorway of the bedroom, wearing a tank top and pajama bottoms. "Sorry for startling you," Alex said nonchalantly as Piper put the frame back in its original place.

"So it wasn't a dream. It was all real. Seeing you, the ki-"Alex interrupted.

"Yeah. It was all real," she said, trying not to dwell on the kiss, "By the way I'm sorry about that. I don't know what came over me."

"It's fine."

"Uhh...I'm not sure if you want to take a shower or something but if you do, the bathroom is down the hall, first door on the left. The green towel is the extra one. You can use that one. And honestly, you shouldn't go just yet. Well-I mean, you're probably still out of it, so yeah." Piper muttered thanks and walked out of the room. Even after Piper had left to shower, the brunette stayed planted in the same spot. The brunette sighed heavily, walking over to the dresser Piper was standing next to. She picked up the photo, walked over to her bed, and sat down. She stared at the photograph, thinking back to that day. She missed spending her days with the beautiful blonde. Alex was so lost in thought she didn't hear Piper re-enter the bedroom.

"I hate to ask, but do you have a change of clothes I could borrow?"

"Um, yeah hold on." Alex set the picture frame back where it belonged and pulled out a shirt and a pair of shorts out of one of her drawers. "Here," she said throwing them at Piper, "I'll just, uh...turn around." Piper nodded and turned around to face the wall and started changing. Alex tried to fight the urge to look at Piper while she was changing but failed miserably. She marveled at how her back muscles tensed and her arms flexed. But as Piper lifted the shirt over her head, Alex got a glimpse of a scar on Piper's left shoulder blade that she knew had a smaller, entry scar below the clavicle. After all, she stitched her up.

* * *

_Alex was sitting on the couch reading a book with a cup of coffee by her side when she heard the front door open and slam. "Piper?" No response. "Piper, are you there?"_

"_Uh…yeah…I'm-I'm here," Piper said, taking pauses between each word. "Al, you…know how…to stitch and…sew, right?" _

"_Yeah? Why?" Alex asked, uncertain to what Piper would need stitched up. Sure she had sewn a pair of torn jeans or a ripped shirt, but nothing could have prepared her for what was to come. Piper stumbled into the living room, her breathing labored wearing black cargo pants, combat boots, fingerless gloves, and a bloodstained tee shirt. Alex dropped her book, and darted towards Piper. "Oh my god. Pipes, what the hell happened?" she asked, tears threatening to spill over._

"_I'll tell you, but can you help me? The bullet passed through completely, so you won't have to worry about that, but I've lost A LOT of blood, and I can't afford to lose any more." Alex nodded and ran into the bathroom, searching for antiseptic and bandages. After getting that, she ran into her room to grab her sewing kit and some towels. Once she had gathered everything, she bolted back to the living room, to see Piper hunched over on the couch._

"_Pipes?" Alex laid everything out on the coffee table and looked over at Piper who had her eyes shut. "Piper?! Can you hear me?" Tears flowed from the brunette's eyes leaving wet trails down her cheeks. _

_"I-I'm here, Alex. Don't worry," she replied, opening her eyes. _

_"Don't worry? Piper, you got shot! Of course I'm going to worry. But more importantly, why didn't you go to the hospital?"_

_"You're gonna laugh at me. It's such a stupid reason," she said chuckling. _

_"Piper, nothing about this situation is funny. So, no. I will not laugh at you." Piper tried to take a deep breath, but ended up wincing in pain. _

_"I'm afraid of hospitals. Everyone I've known who has gone to the hospital has either died before they got there or died in the hospital bed and left me alone. It's like a damn curse. And I'm afraid that if I'm other end of the situation, I'm going to leave someone alone. And I don't want that person to be you." They looked at each other as more tears fell from Alex's eyes._

"_Okay." Alex said, wiping the tears away._

"_Okay what?"_

"_I stitch you up." Piper nodded. "But can you explain how this happened?" Piper stayed silent as she pulled her top off. "Please, Pipes."_

"_I don't work for an entrepreneuring company. I do have a job, yes. But… I kill. For money. I'm an assassin, a hitman. All the times I would take you to another state or another country, it was because I had a job to do. But even after I was done, we stay a little while longer, just so you would be happy." Alex attempted to stay calm, but her shaking hands proved otherwise. "I would understand if you no longer wanted to be with me, ut allow me to say that I would be lost without you." Both women stayed quiet as Alex began wiping Piper's wounds with the antiseptic. The blonde winced as Alex inserted the needle into her skin. "Al, say something." _

_"Let me finish. Then we'll talk." _

_Fifteen minutes later, Alex finished stitching both bullet holes and wrapping each wound in bandages. She went to the washroom to wash the bloody towels as the blonde walked to their bedroom to grab another shirt. She almost put Piper's bloodstained shirt into the washing machine but she remembered the holes from the bullet. She tightened her grasp on the shirt before throwing it in the garbage. _

_She walked slowly into the bathroom that was connected to the bedroom she shared with her girlfriend, and washed her hands. She traveled the short distance to the bed, where Piper was sitting, facing away from her. "Are you ready to talk?" Piper asked, still keeping her back turned from Alex. Alex took a deep breath and sat down next to the blonde._

"_Is it really true?" Piper nodded in response. "Okay. I'll stay. But if you're going to keep this job, you need to promise me one thing."_

"_For you, and for our relationship, I would do anything."_

"_You have to promise me that you will never come home like this, beaten, bruised, bloody, nothing. You have to come home in one piece."_

"_I promise."_

* * *

After Piper was done changing, she turned around to face the brunette, only to see her staring off into space, her arms wrapped around her body. "Um, Alex?" Piper called out to her, snapping her out of whatever trance she was in.

"Oh, sorry."

"It's good. Look, you don't have to let me stay here, I can just take a cab back home."

"Take a cab? Where do you live?"

"I live on Columbus. I've lived there for the past two years. Why? Where are we right now?" Piper asked curiously.

"I live on Amsterdam Ave. For fuck's sake. We've lived two blocks away from each other and we never ended up seeing each other." Alex ran a hand through her dark hair and exhaled heavily. "Anyways, you can stay if you want. Besides, it's late."

"Thanks. I really do appreciate it," Piper said, smiling slightly.

"Do you want something to drink? I have coffee, water... tequila?" Alex asked, smirking slightly.

"Yeah. Tequila sounds good. I need a drink."

"Sure. It'll just be us for now. My roommate, Nicky, is out on a date with her girlfriend, and knowing them, they're gonna be gone for a long time."

Alex walked out of her bedroom to the kitchen with Piper right behind her. The brunette opened up the cabinet and pulled out the alcohol and two shot glasses. She poured out the drinks, handed one to the blonde and they both walked over to the couch. "Cheers," Alex said, both women knocking their glasses together lightly. Alex grimaced as the tequila burned her throat, while Piper reacted in no way whatsoever.

"If I remember correctly, weren't you a bit of a lightweight?" Alex asked refilling their glasses.

"I got more into drinking after we broke up. I guess I developed a higher tolerance," Piper replied, shrugging and downing another shot. Alex stayed quiet and stared at her hands and then at Piper's. She would drank her second shot but stopped herself, looking closer at the blonde's hands.

Piper raised her glass to her lips but was interrupted by Alex grabbing her hands and pulling them closer to her. Alex examined her hands, running her fingers along the burns on the blonde's palm and fingers. Piper jerked her hands away from the brunette.

"What the hell are you doing?!" she yelled, Alex flinching at her tone.

"Piper, where did these come from? Don't tell me you still have the same job, after all these years. Oh my god, you're the one who caused that explosion on Riverside!"

"So what if I do have the same job. And for your information, I didn't cause the explosion, the guy who did died before I could kill him." Alex took off her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose and Piper continued. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all of it. Believe me, I've tried getting out of this business for the past eight years. But there's not much I can do anymore. I've come so close to dying so many times and I would think that I would finally get out, but someone would come save my ass. And I fucking hated it."

"Do you think I could see?" Piper looked at her, confused. "You say you've almost...died several times, can I see? Please?"Alex pleaded. Piper put down her shot glass and began pulling her shirt above her head. Alex gasped as she got a full view of the scars that littered the blonde's body. Piper had multiple scars on her biceps, a large scar that started at the top of her collarbone and ended at her right breast, and larger and thicker scar on her side. She didn't want to imagine the old wounds she might have on her back. But there was one scar that made Alex tear up. A circular scar that was just above Piper's heart. "Did you go to the hospital for any of these?"

"Only this one," Piper replied, placing a finger on the scar on her chest, "but technically, it wasn't really a hospital, just the medical wing of the base for the other assassins. But I was terrified waking up in there. Piper put her shirt back on and poured her and Alex another shot. "Look, I don't want to talk about work, I just want to drink my sorrows away, can we do that?"

"Yeah. We can."

* * *

A bottle of tequila and a two stupid comedy movies later, both women were drunk, Alex more than Piper. Piper shut off the tv and looked at the brunette. She had ended up passing out an hour and a half into the second movie. Piper got off the couch and stretched out her legs. She lifted Alex off the couch and carried her back to her bedroom. She placed her on the bed and draped the covers over her body. Piper was halfway out of the room when she heard the other woman call out to her.

"Piperrrr."

"Yes Alex?" she asked smiling.

"Stay with me."

"I don't think I should. I'll just sleep on the couch."

"No, pleaseeee. Come be my little spoon." Piper tried to argue, but Alrx interrupted her. "No excuses. My house, my rules." Piper sighed and walked over to the bed, slipped under the covers and pressed her back against Alex's front. "Looks like Piper Chapman is still a big softie," she said, smiling and inhaling the blonde's scent.

"I guess I am."


	4. Chapter 4

**So school has officially started for me so the updates will be once a week or something like that. But sorry for the late update. First week of school and I've already had to take some tests. :(**

* * *

Alex awoke with the sun shining in her eyes and blonde hair in her face. Piper's hair, that smelled of vanilla and cinnamon. She didn't have sex with her, did she? She recollected her memories and thought back to the night before. She tried to remember exactly what happened last night, but her massive hangover was making it hard for her to think. All she could remember was alcohol, old wounds, both physical and emotional, and cheesy comedy movies. Maybe they didn't have sex, surely she would have remembered. After all, no one could compete against Piper under the sheets. After she and Piper had broken up, Alex had her fair share of nights with other women, but it wasn't the same.

Alex lifted her head off her pillow and glanced over Piper to look at the clock. It was already 10:12 in the morning.

"Good morning." The brunette jolted back, Piper's voice scaring the day lights out of her.

"Jesus, Piper! You scared the hell out of me. More importantly, what the hell are you doing in my bed?"

"Well, you did ask me to join you," Piper said, smirking and turning around to face the other woman, "and might I just say that I am glad you did. I haven't slept this good since we broke up." Alex smiled and stared into the blonde's eyes, causing Piper to blush.

"I-l'll go...um make breakfast," Piper said, pulling the sheets off her body. Alex stared at her until she left the room. After laying in bed for a little while longer, Alex put on her glasses followed her to the kitchen.

Piper walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, thinking of what she could make with what was in the fridge. She pulled out the eggs, bacon and butter. She placed them all on the counter by the stove and also grabbed the bread on top of the refrigerator. Ready to start cooking, the blonde realized she had forgotten something. Looking through the drawers, Piper searched for pans to cook with.

"They're in the bottom cabinet." Piper jumped at the sound of Alex's voice.

"What?" Smiling, Alex repeated herself.

"You need pans to cook, right? They're in the bottom cabinet, right-hand side."

"Yeah. Thanks." Piper kneeled down and grabbed two pans and put them on the stove. Not even cooking for a full five minutes, Piper could feel Alex staring at her from behind. After popping the bread into the toaster, the blonde stood still until Alex said something.

"You know, you'll burn the food if you don't watch it."

"The only thing that'll catch fire is me considering you're burning holes into the back of my head," Piper replied, half joking. Alex didn't respond and Piper continued cooking. "What happened to your roommate?"

"She never came home last night. My guess is that she stayed over her girlfriend's house." Piper only hummed in response as she took plates out and started serving food for the both of them. While she did that, Alex poured out two glasses of orange juice.

They walked over to the table in the dining room, food and drinks in hand, they sat down and began eating. The two women sat in silence, the only sound being the occasional clank of the steel utensils hitting the plates. Both of them tried starting up conversations but they only lasted a couple minutes. After eating in a pregnant silence, Piper brought their plates to the sink.

"Alex, I want to thank you for everything. For bringing me into your home and taking care of me."

"It was nothing, really."

"It wasn't nothing, Alex. I'm sorry for what happened in the past. I'm sorry for all of it."

"Pipes, what happened in the past, is in the past. You need to understand tha-" Alex was interrupted by Piper smashing her lips onto hers. For the five seconds that their lips were pressed together, Alex did not respond. Realizing this, Piper pulled back.

"Oh my god. I'm so fucking stupid. I'm sorry Alex, I shouldn't have done that. I'm really sorry-"

"Stop apologizing and kiss me," Alex said, her eyes darkening with lust. The taller woman pulled the other in for another kiss. Each second of each kiss was filled with passion. Piper pushed Alex against the counter top, never losing contact with the brunette's lips. "What the hell are you waiting for?" Alex asked, pulling away. Piper nodded aggressively, before locking lips again. She lifting Alex off the ground and carried her back to the bedroom, thanking herself for being strong enough to do so. Piper walked into the room, slamming the door behind her, and began to do what she missed doing for several years.

* * *

_Alex waited for over 3 hours after Piper said she would be home. She eagerly paced the living room thinking of what could have come up. Maybe her boss gave her a long meeting after a mission. Maybe she had to file a report after a mission. She continued to think of different possibilities until she heard the front door unlock and open. In came a Piper with a large bandage on her cheek and her forehead. But the worst of it all, was that she had her left arm in a makeshift cast and sling. _

_"Piper! Jesus Christ!" _

_"Al, relax. It looks bad, but it's only broken in two places, so it shouldn't take too long to heal."_

_"How is a broken arm not bad?" Alex screamed out. _

_"Look, it put me out of service for a while, so now we can spend more time together," the blonde said, smiling. _

_"No." _

_"What do you mean 'no'?"_

_"Piper, you made me a promise that you wouldn't come home beaten to a pulp. A couple of scratches here and there, I dealt with that. I even put up with you getting a concussion. But I draw the line here."_

_"Listen. Let me get changed really quick and we can talk about this." Not waiting for a reply, Piper walked into their bedroom and changed into her pajamas. Alex watched as the blonde limped her way to change and followed her to the bedroom. She stood in the doorway watching the blonde change into leisure clothes. Alex felt tears well up in her eyes as she saw Piper take off her pants and saw a large, blood stained bandage covering the back of her leg. _

_"It happened again."_

_"What?" Piper questioned, pulling on a pair of sweatpants. _

_"You got shot again. This is the second time it's happened! Piper, you keep doing this job and for what? I can't deal with this anymore."_

_"You knew exactly what you were getting into."_

_"No! You knew what you were getting into. I thought I was dating a wonderful woman who happened to be a successful entrepreneur. Someone who did something good in their life. Not someone who killed people for cash," Alex said, screaming at the top of her lungs. _

_"So what are you saying? Are you breaking up with me?" A silence rang throughout the apartment. Tears brimmed Piper's eyes, but she blinked them back. "Are you?"_

_"Yeah. I guess I am." Piper felt her breath hitch as she bolted out of the room and into her office, before locking the door and pulling out a bottle of whiskey. _

_Alex sighed, wiping away tears. She pulled out a large suitcase and began packing. She didn't really know where she would go, but she would probably end up staying at her mom's place for a while. After an hour and a half of packing, Alex zipped up her luggage. Just as she was about leave, her phone rang. Looking at the caller ID and realizing it was her Aunt Michelle, she answered her cell. _

_Piper took another swig of alcohol and grimaced. She wasn't a big fan of whiskey and not to mention she was a really big light-weight. Assuming Alex had already left, she walked back to her room to sleep away her sorrows. Walking in she noticed that the brunette was still there, staring out into space. _

_"Weren't you on your way out?" Getting no reply, Piper decided to rant. "Are you not gonna say anything? We broke up not even two hours ago. Am I such a disgrace of a person, that you won't even talk to me?" Still not receiving a word back, the blonde felt her drunken anger boiled up inside her. "Will you acknowledge that I am a person who is speaking? Alex!"_

_"My mom died."_

_Immediately sobering up, Piper walked over to her ex. "What? What happened?"_

_"An aneurysm?" she said unsure, "I don't know. My aunt just called, she said so many things, I don't even remember." Unsure of what to say, Piper stayed silent. "I have to go. I have to plan a funeral since there's no one else to do it." _

_"I'll help."_

_"No. What are you going to do? Come with me so I can have a death at my mother's funeral? Maybe the priest will be another hit for you. Or maybe, just maybe, you'll be one to die!"_

_"Look Alex, I'm just trying to be a friend," Piper tried to explain. _

_"I don't need you trying to be a friend! I don't need you! Don't follow me. Don't ever talk to me again." Piper felt tears fall down her face, but didn't bother wiping them away. Alex grabbed her suitcase and stalked out of the apartment and out of Piper's life._

* * *

Both women attempted to catch their breaths, their naked chests rising and falling underneath the blue turned to face Piper and she did the same. Alex mindlessly twirled a piece of the blonde's hair with her finger, staring into her deep blue eyes. "I missed this."

"Me too."

"So now what?" Piper shrugged her shoulders and looked up at the ceiling.

"It's up to you on what happens next. I don't deserve a say in this."

"I want this to happen. I really do," Alex said, her eyes softening, "Do you?"

Before Piper could speak, she was interrupted by her phone going off. Groaning, Piper reached over and grabbed her cell phone off the nightstand. Looking at the caller ID, the blonde cursed and looked for something to cover herself with. Using Alex's bathrobe, she walked out into the hall to take the call.

"Kubra. How are you?"

"Honestly, I'm not happy. Another...old friend of mine has been very troublesome lately," Kubra said, anger present in his voice.

"You want me to take care of him." It wasn't a question, but rather a blunt statement. "When?"

"Don't get too eager, Piper. I don't want just you. This man is probably the most dangerous man I've put a hit on. I know you have high potential, but I don't want you going alone. Your partner will be Archer. Come by my office for a briefing in two hours. Do not disappoint me." Kubra ended the call, not bothering for confirmation from the blonde.

Piper walked back into Alex's bedroom, tossing her phone back on the table. She plopped on the bed, her back towards the brunette. "You have to do another job, don't you?" she heard Alex say behind her.

"Sadly, yes," she groaned, running a hand through her hair, "I fucking hate this job."

"I do too. When?"

"I have to meet my boss in two hours. You know, I used to think that I couldn't just leave this job, since he's practically my father. But now, I realize, I can't leave this job in general. I'm afraid to. I'm afraid of Kubra." Piper's breathing hitched when she felt a pair of long, slender arms wrap around her middle.

"I know that I can't help you leave your job. But I know and I know that you know that you can do more than you think. It won't be easy, but you can quit."

"You make it sound like it's an addiction," Piper said, humor in her voice and a small smile splayed on her lips. She knew that nothing that Alex was funny, but she was right. And in some way, she, herself was right too. Killing people was almost like a drug to her. And Kubra was her dealer. She just couldn't stop. "You're right though."

Alex kept the sheets wrapped around her body while she reached around the blonde to grab her glasses. "Look, Piper, I want you to know that I'm going to be here this time. I won't leave you, whether it's your lowest point or mine."

"Thank you, really. Sadly, I have to get going. Maybe I'll swing by later." Alex nodded and Piper got up off the bed and began getting dressed. Fully clothed, Piper straightened out her top and looked back at Alex, who was tracing circle on the bed with her finger. "Al, I really will try this time. More than I did last time." Alex nodded in response. Unsure of what to do next, Piper leaned over and placed a kiss on Alex's forehead. Piper smiled and walked out of the apartment. Alex took off her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose, "Fuck."


	5. Chapter 5

**So here's to another chapter! I feel like I might be taking this story too fast, so I'm going to see what I can do about that. So… yeah.**

* * *

The cool, late spring air could make anyone smile. It was practically the perfect temperature with a slight breeze, blowing the fresh green leaves of the trees, Piper smiled at her surroundings, even if autumn was her favorite season. She loved the colors of the world, the smells, and the sounds of leaves crunching under her feet. Not only that, but Alex's birthday was in the fall. Well technically, this year, it was on the first day of autumn. September 22nd. She would be sure to celebrate it with the other woman, and not drink away the sorrows that came with the day. She would love to enjoy the day back when she and Alex were still together, but afterwards, she hated it. Only because she had no one to celebrate it with. Piper was sure that this year would be different. She had three months and eleven days to plan a way to make up all the mistakes she had made in the past.

She had to be at Kubra's in an hour and a half so instead of taking a cab, Piper decided to walk there. It wouldn't just kill time for her and allow her to go back to her apartment, but it would allow her to think as well. She could think about Kubra, Alex, and herself. Kubra had raised her and took care of her. not in the best way or in a way similar to other fathers, but he raised her. She would have to go against everything she was taught and not support Kubra's intentions. She hoped that this would be her last job and everything would go back to normal. Actually, she couldn't say that considering nothing in her life was ever normal. So maybe her life could start being normal. And that's all she could do, was hope.

* * *

Piper walked into the office building, nodding at one of the guards who smiled at her. It wasn't necessarily a happy smile, just one that said, 'Hey. You're practically my boss's daughter so I have to be friendly with you.' kind of smile. She walked over to the elevator and began tapping her foot, waiting for it to arrive. Hearing the slight ding that came with the elevator, Piper stepped inside and pressed the ever so familiar button for the fourth floor. "Wait up!" She heard a recognizable voice call out to her. The blonde held her arm against the door, keeping them from closing as a man ran into the elevator. "Hey Piper! Good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too, Eric, considering the circumstances, of course." Eric Archer. He was a toned, muscular man who happened to be the same age as Piper. Eric had dark brown, almost black hair and stubble with blue eyes and a height of 6'3. He was also Piper's partner for the mission. There was something else about him that Piper didn't like to admit. They had gone out for a little while. They were together for half a year or so, but realizing it wouldn't work, she had ended it. Instead of being awkward about it, they had decided to stay friends. Now, they were almost like brother and sister.

"So, how have you been Pipes?"

"You know, I'm not really sure how to answer that question. But what about you?" Eric bounced on the balls of his feet.

"I've been better. I'm just a little nervous for the mission, is all." The elevator came to a halt and the double doors slid opened. Both assassins continued their conversation as they exited.

"I don't think you need to worry about anything going wrong. You'll be my eyes in the sky." That was usually the plan when the two of them were partners in a mission, Piper was on the ground, while Eric would be up on a rooftop, looking through the scope of a sniper. Piper trusted Eric with her life. All of the other assassins, including Piper, considered him the best sharpshooter around. Nobody thought it was a coincidence that his last name was Archer.

"I'm not worried about that. It's just…I'm worried that something won't be as it seems in the mission. I don't know how to explain it." The blonde was starting worry herself. Eric never got cold feet, let alone nervous for a mission. Piper knocked on the door of Kubra's office, waiting until she got confirmation to enter. The two of them walked into the room, Eric closing the door behind them.

"Chapman, good to see you. Same to you Archer," Kubra said, keeping to formalities due to another assassin being present.

"We're here for the debriefing, sir," the dark-haired man spoke.

"Of course. Well then, let's get started." The Middle-Eastern man pulled out a remote and pressed a button which automatically closed the blinds. Pressing a button underneath his desk, light sparked within the surface of the desk. Kubra pulled out multiple photos and a map out of a manila folder and laid them all out on his desk. "Valentino Luíz Delgado will be your target. I expect you two to eliminate him by the end of Tuesday. That will allow you enough time to scout and eradicate Mr. Delgado." Threes day to complete the mission. That would be two days to stake out the location and Valentino himself and the last day to eliminate him. Piper and Eric glanced at each other and nodded.

"Okay sir. May we take the intel for further preparations?" Piper asked, already knowing the answer.

"Of course. Now get going. Remember, don't disappoint me." Eric almost rolled his eyes at the phrase. Piper gathered all of the photos and put them in the folder, hugging it to her chest. Both assassins made their way out of his office, when Piper slowed her pace.

"Hey, you go on ahead," she said handing the folder to the tall man, "I gotta talk to Kubra."

"Yeah, sure. I'll wait for you outside," he said, walking out.

Piper stood in the center of the room as Kubra reopened the blinds, allowing light to seep into the room. "Kubra, can I talk to you about something."

"I don't see why not."

"I'd… I'd like to put in a resignation." Piper was expecting a yell, a shout, maybe a slap to the face, but something she had never thought would happen, happened. Kubra burst out into laughter. Piper had never heard him laugh in her entire life.

"You think this is some writer job, or something? Am I your editor in chief?" Piper felt sweat drip down her face. "Do you remember when you were a child, and I first found you?" The woman shook her in response. "You were in a park with nothing but a tattered blanket, a little stuffed bear, and the clothes on your back. What was the name of that stuffed toy?"

"Mr. Snuffs. His name was Mr. Snuffs."

"Ahh, but you remember that. Listen, I took you in, not because I pitied you, but because I saw potential in you. And you expect me to let you leave?" Piper shook her head, deciding to stay silent. "You know what? Let's see how this mission goes. If it goes good, maybe we'll talk about it. If not, well I don't think I need to continue that sentence. Now go, and don't disappoint me," he said, waving her away. Piper walked out of the office and finally let go off the breath she didn't know she was holding,

"God, he says that like it's his catchphrase." Piper almost jumped off the ground at the sound of the voice.

"Jesus, Eric! You scared the hell out of me." Eric chuckled at her comment. "Who says what like it his catchphrase?"

"Kubra. He always says 'Don't disappoint me.'," he said in his best impression of the other man, causing Piper to smile. "It's like it's a force of habit for him."

"Maybe. So I'm thinking we go over the intel at my place and then we go stakeout this guy's last known location. That sound good to you?"

"Yeah, that's good. Let me go get a spare set of clothes from my bunk, and I'll meet you in the garage. I'll grab a bag for you to put the stuff in." Nodding, Piper and Eric parted ways while he went to the room he shared with another assassin, Piper walked back to the elevator to take to the underground garage. Arriving at the correct level and walking towards her motorcycle, and pulling her keys out of her back pocket, she waited, for her brunette partner.

Two minutes later, Piper heard the ding of the elevator and saw Eric walk out of it. He held up his first finger, signalling he needed another minute. Thirty seconds later, the brunette pulled up on his black and red motorcycle, a helmet covering his facial features, and tossed Piper a black satchel. Catching it, Piper stuffed the information in the bag, and got on her navy blue bike. Pulling on her helmet and draping the satchel over her shoulder, Piper started her engine. "You ready?" Seeing Eric nod and hearing a muffled "Yep." she flipped the faceguard on her helmet down, and they sped off out of the garage.

* * *

Pulling up at Piper's apartment, the two motorcyclists got off their vehicles, and walked up to the entrance. The blonde pulled off her helmet and fished her keys out of her pocket. Entering the apartment, Piper pulled off her jacket and put it on one of her wall hooks and placed her helmet on the ground by the door. Eric did the same and they walked to the living room together. "Do you want something to drink? Maybe some coffee?" Piper asked

"Yeah. Sounds good." Piper set the satchel on the table in the center of the room, before walking into the kitchen and began making the coffee.

"You like your coffee black, right?"

"Uh-huh," Eric said pulling out the manila folder and spreading out all of the information on the table.

Piper pulled out two mugs out poured out the coffee. Walking back into the living room, Piper handed Eric his cup and sat down next to him.

"Nice, you gave me the moustache mug,"he said, putting the mug against his upper lip, giving himself a painted moustache. Piper laughed,

"Whatever. Besides, I got the penguin cup," Piper said, smiling in a childish manner and Eric laughed, almost spilling his coffee. "You know, sometimes, I forget that we're both over thirty years old."

"Yep, Wait, wasn't it your birthday yesterday?" Eric said. taking a sip of his drink. Piper nodded in response. "Geez, I'm sorry I forgot Pipes." Eric wrapped his arm around Piper and smiled in an attempt to comfort her,

"It's fine. You're the only one who said anything. So thanks, even if it was late," she said smiling back, "Anyways, let's get started."

* * *

Two pots of coffee and multiple crumpled note sheets, both Piper and Eric came to terms on their game plan.

"So based on this location, I think I should be set up on this rooftop, over here," Eric said, marking a gray square with a red circle on the map, " while you set up here. I'll watch over you as you scout out the surrounding areas, here and here."

"Right. And after each area is cleared, you come back down, and we meet up at this building here," Piper stated, pointing in between two buildings on the map, "And then we investigate the construction site and the inside of the main building."

"So is this the plan?"

"It is. Or at least the first part of it. Once everything checks out, then we can worry about taking out Delgado."

"Alright then. Let's go." The blonde nodded as she packed up all information into the satchel and threw aside. She grabbed her jacket and her helmet, watching the brunette do the same, and they both walked out of the apartment, not fully knowing what could come next.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi guys. What decided to do with this chapter is to have it take place at the same time as chapter 5, but just in different locations. So while chapter 5 focused on Piper, chapter 6 focuses on Alex. So let's see if we can get this story another 5 reviews before the next update? (which should be next week)**

* * *

Alex walked into her kitchen and made herself some coffee. What was she going to do? About Piper? About their relationship? Could you even call it that, or friends with benefits? She doubted it, after all, she loved Piper. She poured herself a cup of coffee and walked into the living room. Sitting down on the couch and turning on the television, Alex began flipping through the channels and sipped at her drink. Finding nothing of intrest, she settled on the local news channel. Alex watched newscaster's lips move up and down, but didn't hear any words. The brunette put down her coffee and sat up, looking down at her hands. Losing complete sense of time and her surroundings, she didn't hear the front door opening to her right. In less than a second Alex felt a pair of hands wrap themselves around her eyes. Panicking, Alex grabbed one of the arms and twisted their wrist.

"Ow! Jesus, Vause! It's me, It's me!"

"Nicky?!" Alex questioned, releasing the woman's arm, "What the hell?"

"I just trying to pull a prank, Jesus!"

"I told you, you shouldn't have done that," another voice commented.

"Lorna? What the hell is going on here? Why are you guys here?" Nicky rubbed her wrist in an attempt to alleviate the pain.

"Well I live here, and Lorna is my girlfriend, so we're here because we can be." Lorna walked into the kitchen, and grabbed a bag of frozen peas from the freezer. Handing it to her girlfriend and kissing her on the cheek, she walked over to the couch and sat down.

"So how are you Alex?" Lorna asked.

"Beside from almost having a heart attack, I'm doing alright," Alex said, wiping Nicky's fingerprints off her glasses.

"Oh please, you weren't going to have a heart attack. Geez, you're so overdramatic." Alex rolled her eyes in response, "So are you gonna tell me what happened with Blondie?" Lorna stood up from the couch out of excitement.

"Blondie? Did you meet someone, Alex? I'm so happy for you."

"Well not exactly, Lorna. And what do you want me to say, Nichols?"

"Oh I don't know. Maybe you can say, you want something to happen, or something like that.

Or maybe you can say, that you slept with her?" A blush creeped its way onto Alex cheeks while Nicky snickered.

"What would make you think that?"

"Maybe I'm a sex psychic. Or maybe you still have sex hair." Alex instantly flattened out her hair after hearing that comment.

"Okay! Alex, how about you go get cleaned up and we all head out to lunch?" Lorna offered.

"Alright. And Nicky, don't say shit, or maybe next time, I'll break your wrist for real."

Walking out of the living room, Alex headed towards the bathroom. Striping down, Alex stepped into the shower and turned the water on. Letting the water cascade itself down her body as she thought about that morning. Nicky was right. Alex wanted something to happen with Piper. The question was, what? Could something, anything even be possible? After washing herself and her hair, Alex stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel, and wrapped it around her body. Alex walked into her room and got dressed. Once she completed her daily routine, the brunette walked back into the living room, where the two women were cuddling. Well, cuddling was an understatement. Nicky was kissing, practically attacking Lorna's neck, and Alex didn't want to imagine where her hands were roaming.

"Woah, Nicky, Jesus!" In under a second Nicky and Lorna jumped up, putting a space between themselves, "I'm gone for not even twenty minutes and you guys are already all over each other."

"I'm sorry Alex," Lorna said, blushing tremendously, "I-I just… It's urges."

"Yeah what she said. It's just urges," Nicky added.

"I don't care what the hell you call it. Look, are we gonna go or not?" Both women nodded and headed for the door, with Alex in tow.

* * *

All three women walked down the streets of New York to Lorna's favorite Italian restaurant. Lorna wanted to have her favorite soup and salad dish that they served there, and Nicky, being the lovesick puppy she was, happily obliged. Alex didn't really have a say in where she wanted to eat, but then again, she didn't really care. She just wondered what Piper planned to do about her job, or whatever you wanted to call it.

They had arrived at the restaurant after 15 long minutes of Nicky and Lorna flirting and Alex being an awkward third wheel. Their waiter brought them to their table and served then each ice water and left.

"So Alex, who's the blonde Nicky was talking about?" Lorna asked.

"Her name is Piper Chapman. She 5'8, blonde hair, blue eyes, beautiful..."

"Yo, Vause! You're staring off into the distance like Chapman will appear before your very eyes," Nicky shouted out, smirking. Alex just rolled her eyes, ignoring the wild-haired woman's comment. The waiter came back around a few minutes later and took each of their orders back to the kitchen.

"I'll be right back. I just have to use the restroom," Lorna said, excusing herself from the table. Nicky nodded and watch the short brunette until she was out of sight.

"Hey Nicky, I gotta tell you something," Alex said, sipping at her water.

"Come on, Vause. I already know you're gay," Nicky replied, laughing into her hand.

"Nicky, I'm being serious right now. It's really important to me that you listen." Nicky realized how serious the woman in front of her was being. Allowing herself to calm down, she leaned closer to Alex. "Thank you. It's about Piper. I never did tell you what she really did."

"I thought you said she was an entrepreneur."

"That is what I told you, yes. But that's not true," Nicky tilted her head in confusion, "Piper is actually… an assassin."

"What?!" Nicky said, attempting to keep her voice down.

"I know, I know. It's bad."

"When do you find out?"

"Six months into the relationship."

"Six months!? You're telling me you stayed with her for more than a year and half even after learning that?" Nicky rubbed her temple with her forefinger. A silence creeped over the two women until Alex spoke up.

"Can this just stay between the two of us? I don't want to get anyone else involved in this, and I doubt you want to get Lorna into this either." Nicky stiffened at the thought of letting her girlfriend know about what she had just learned. Hell, she could barely handle the thought of her best friend being with someone who killed for a living, so she didn't even want to think of how Lorna would act. The blonde nodded in response. "Thank you." Lorna came back to their table not even a minute later after the two women had ended their conversation.

"Hope you two didn't have too much fun without me," the short woman said, giggling at her own joke.

"Nah, babe. Without you, it's was just me and boring old Vause over here," Nicky said, putting a smile on. Alex stayed in silence, allowing the other women to continue their conversation until their food came. Alex watched the two lovers laugh and smile together. She hoped she could go back to a time similar to that, but with Piper. And that's all she could do, was hope.


	7. Chapter 7

**Holy crap! Where have I been? It's been way too long since I updated this story. I'm not gonna lie but recently one of my favorite shows came back a few weeks ago and I've been EXTREMELY distracted by that. Not only that, but school has been painstaking busy and it's been hard to find free time. But here's the next chapter. **

Piper and Eric drove down the street, dodging each car, and weaving through traffic. They were on their way to Delgado's construction site, after they had made a quick pit stop. They had taken a detour back to the headquarters, allowing Eric to grab his sniping gear. Zipping through a yellow light before it turned red, the two assassins slowed their speed, pulling up at their checkpoint.

"I'll go up to the rooftop and I contact you when I get into position," Eric said. Piper nodded her head in response. She tossed him an earpiece and a communicator, before taking one out for herself. The two of them got off their bikes, with Eric climbing up the fire escape with ease, Piper walked towards the construction site, blending in with a crowd.

"Keep your eyes open, Pipes. You need to keep an eye in my blind spots."

"I got it. I'm only scouting for guards and for Delgado," Piper whispered into the speaker, trying not to attract attention. Eric hummed into his communicator, keeping his focus on Piper. The blonde entered the construction area, crouching behind a stack of plywood.

"Okay, I see a portable building, my guess, it's Valentino's office. Stay to the right though, I see a guard walking in that direction." Piper pulled out her silenced pistol and stayed in what shadows were out of view of the guards. The clank of steel-toed boots against concrete fading away, was Piper's cue to stealthily sprint towards the office.

Vaulting over the rusted railing, the blonde opened the door and entered the room. It wasn't extravagant. The office consisted of a mahogany desk, a few filing cabinets, and a small water cooler. Piper walked over to the desk and examined the papers on the desk and rummaged through the drawers. Nothing seemed to be of interest until Piper's eyes found a green folder filled with photos. She glanced at each photo, her eyes widening as she flipped through each picture.

The first few pictures included Valentino and a few men she did not recognize. Most likely, they were current or potential bodyguards of his. Not too important. The next ones were of Kubra. Still not a surprise. Piper knew Delgado and Kubra had some connection, otherwise she wouldn't be here. It was the last few pictures that really caught her attention. Multiple profiles of the assassins that worked for Kubra. The last three being Fahri, Eric, and herself. Each one of their pictures having a large red circle around them. Piper's train of thought was interrupted by a voice in her ear.

"Piper, you gotta get out of there. A guard is coming your way."

"Yeah, got it." Piper snapped quick pictures of each piece of intel before put everything back into the folder. She pried open the window of the portable and climbed out, closing the window behind her. Piper sprinted across the construction site, gravel crunching beneath her feet.

"Eric, I got what we need. We need to get out of here, before someone knows we were here." Eric hummed his conformation into the speaker. Both assassins met at their motorcycles before taking off down the street.

"That was a close one. What exactly did you end up finding anyways?"

"I'm not quite sure yet. I need to go over the files with Kubra." Piper exhaled heavily. The two of them slowed down at a red light, both of them in the same lane. An uneasy silence crept over both as a black SUV with tinted windows drove up next to them. Eric look to his left at Piper. Locking eyes, they both nodded. Waiting for traffic to clear, they took off, not bothering to wait for the light to turn green.

Car horns blared in Piper's ears as she and Eric dodged oncoming traffic. She should have seen this coming. She had been so caught up in whatever was in those files that she wasn't being careful enough. She could have easily been spotted while leaving the construction site. In her mirrors, Piper could see the same vehicle creeping up on her and her partner.

"Eric! Go left here!" the blonde shouted over her communicator. Making a sharp turn would throw most people off, but the mysterious driver was one step ahead of her, and had expected her move. As Piper and Eric weaves through cars, the SUV rammed every car in its path, all while keeping up the assassins.

"Piper, I got an idea!"

"It better be a good one."

"It is. Follow me," Eric replied before turning right, with Piper on his tail.

They turned into alley after alley, each one slightly narrower than the last. However, that didn't stop the other driver. He didn't care that his mirror had been torn off by constantly being hit against the brick walls.

"There's some blockers right here!" Eric shouted over the sound of his engine.

Piper and Eric zipped past the small space of the blockers at tremendous speed. The ear-splitting sound of metal smashing against metal shattered the silence around them. They skidded to a stop, their heads spun to the noise, everything else forgotten. There was such little space between the blockers, for it took Piper and Eric both by surprise of how precise they had to be. And at the speed the car was going, the blonde was even more surprised the driver didn't fly out of his seat and through the window. There close to zero chance of the driver surviving. Eric got off of his bike and walked to the other vehicle and opened the driver side door. He put his two fore fingers on the other man's neck. No pulse.

Eric dragged his feet back to his motorcycle and exhaled heavily. Piper stared at Eric as he pulled his helmet back over his head. "You good?" Eric asked before flipped down his face guard.

"I am. Are you?"

"Yeah. It's just… that was intense."

Piper nodded in response, biting back her tongue. She blamed herself for what had happened and talking about it would only make it worse. They drove back into the street and continued down the road.

"Piper, I'm sorry for what happened. I just-"

"Please. Don't apologize. Let's just not talk about it." Eric hummed his confirmation and a minute of silence followed. The brunette looked over his shoulder at the woman driving next to him. Past her shoulder, Eric saw a large black van speeding in their direction. His eyes widened in fear, "Piper watch out!"

Piper spun her head to her left, but it was too late. The vehicle was too close. In an attempt to dodge the van, Piper revved the throttle. The van slammed into the rear tire of Piper's motorcycle, launching the blonde into the air. As Piper collided with the ground, her vision went black.


End file.
